Heat 99, Rockets 66: Rockets were already on road to rout 66

This was worse, of course. It was by far their worst game of the season, with their 66 points matching their fewest ever. They had their worst shooting, lowest-scoring, fewest assist, most-lopsided loss this season. But it was not a one-game aberration.

The Rockets have been heading this direction and they know it. There have been brief blips of excellence in the wins in San Antonio and Memphis. But their offense is always teetering, like a chair balance on its rear legs.

An injury to Kyle Lowry kicked the legs out, and the whole house collapsed.

With the Rockets unable to withstand any losses to a rotation with no margin for error, Lowry went out against the Sixers, and the Rockets have not been the same since. They have had three consecutive halves of basketball with 35 points or fewer since he went out. As always, Aaron Brooks is the only perimeter player that can reliably get his own shot, and if he doesn’t get it done, it doesn’t get done.

The Rockets get few open looks, with Shane Battier, Trevor Ariza and (lately) Chase Budinger missing contested shots. Carl Landry is finding how hard it is to go from good scorer to one of those special few that can beat defenses reshaped to stop him.

For the Rockets, it all has to fall into place. Instead, they shot the same 30.2 percent in the first half as the largely meaningless second half and fell apart.

The break should help. Ariza should be back by next week. Lowry might take longer, but should be back in time for the Rockets to determine what sort of season this will be. But the same problems will remain. The Rockets must be at their best to overcome them. Tuesday’s blowout was far from the first glimpse of what can happen when they’re not.

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Since a game like that surely recharges the interest in bringing in reinforcements, I hate to have to say that little has changed in the efforts to deal Tracy McGrady for offensive help.

That probably should come as no surprise. In talks like these, GMs often proceed as if the side that blinks first loses. And with everyone to be together this weekend anyway, they can talk then without seeming to be softening on their demands.

There also does not seem to be some other deal coming into view. On thing to consider, however, could be a three-team deal in which the Rockets trade McGrady largely for expiring contracts and try to use a portion of those contracts for whatever they want. That way, they don’t have to take back a second long-term deal, assuming they can find someone desperate enough to clear out a long-term obligation to take back little besides an improved cap situation.

The harder part of that, of course, is that someone would want McGrady the player, not just McGrady the contract. The Knicks were the one team that had seemed to want to get a look at what he could do. Put together a few of those expiring Knicks contracts, send one with a player for Iguodala or Butler, and the Rockets would bring in only one long-term commitment.

There are a whole lot of ifs in there. Most are long shots. The Sixers in particular seem determined to make a move that helps on the court now, not just down the road. For now, the Rockets have not helped, demonstrating that they need help, which can’t be good when trying to hammer out a deal.